Conveyer



F GUSON.

CONVEYER.

APPLICATEON FILED APR 10, 1920.

Ina/@2602 Pafented J 1115' 1,

lAQ3,095.

J. L. FERGUSON.

CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED APFLIO, 1920.

Patented July 18, 192

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented. July 18, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' 'IRUZYdO/f W W CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I0, 1920.

J. L. FERGUSON.

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J. L. FERGUSON.

CONVEYER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.10, 192 0. 1,423,095. Patented July 18, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

ireo STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN L. FERGUSON, OF JOLIET. ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE QUAKER OATS COMPANY, OF CHIGAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CONVEYER.

Original application filed August 29,

T 0 a?! whom it may (rmwern:

Be it known that I. JoHN L. FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Joilet, in the county of Will and State of Illinois have invented new and useful Tmprovements in Conveyers. of which the following is a full. clear. concise, and exact description, reference being had. to the accompanying drawing. forming a part of this specification.

My invention pertains to conveyers. It is particularly adaptable for carrying containers or other articles through suitable mechanism for operating thereon. as. for example, mechanism for closing or sealing containers of various types.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a conveyer for Work of the above and other character. which will require a minimum of floor space, and which will pass a large number of articles past a given point with great rapidity. I have shown in the accompanying drawings. and described in the following specification. :1 machine disclosing a form of my co-nveyer used in connection with a carton-sealing machine of that type wherein the flaps of the cartons are folded and sealed. It will be of course understood, however. that my conveyer may be used for numerous other purposes.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a plan of a carton-sealing machine embodying my conveyerj Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the same. the section being taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4.--4= of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of'the arrows.

Fig. 5 is diagrammatic view of the manner in which the cartons are handled after they are blown off into thechute.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, I provide two endless conveyers. each of which is provided with means. in the particular embodiment illustrated, for carrying cartons, one series of sand 'means bein adapted to support carton shells with neither the Specification of Letters Patent.

1913, Serial No. 787,371.

Serial No. 372,746.

Patented July IS. 1922.

Divided and this application filed April top nor bottom flaps folded. and the other a seriesof filled cartons with the top flaps unfolded. Both series of carton-supporting members or carriers traverse the same path during a portion of their travel; and the members are disposed on the convcyer so that the members of each series will he interspaced with those of the other series during the time when both series are traversing the same path. Therefore. the two endless conveyers with their associated cartonsupporting members or carriers constitute a pair of horizontally disposed conveyer mechanisms. the paths of travel of said carricrs coinciding as they travel under the folding and sealing mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings. the machine includes a bed 29 supported on suitable legs carrying bearings for amain drive shaft 30. which is driven from any suitable source of power. The shaft 30 is provided with a clutch 31 for throwing all of the parts of the machine, excepting certain parts of the sealing apparatus, out of operation when desired. the clutch being adapted to be operated by means of a handle 32 placed in a position where it can be conveniently manipulated by the operator. The shaft 30 drives. through gearing 33. a countershaft 34. from which the majority of the parts of the machine receive their motion.

Mounted so as to rotate in vertical bearings carried by the bed 29 is a horizontal sprocket wheel 35. The shaft of the sprocket wheel. 35 also carriesa gear wheel 36 which meshes with a pinion 37 carried by a stub shaft. which shaft is driven. through bevel gearing 38. by the countershaft 34. A sprocket chain 39 passes around the sprocket wheel 35 and around asecond sprocket wheel 40. which is supported at the opposite end of the machine to the wheel 35. The sprocket chain 39 carries the supporting members for the carton shells.

The bed 29 carries a pair of rails 41 which enclose between them that part of the sprocket chain 39 which is located at the outside of the machine and at the ends thereof. The bed also carries a air of rails 42 which enclose that part 0 the chain located down the center of the machine. As will hereinafter be explained, the rails 42 act in co-operation with the sprocket chain for the filled cartons as well as with the sprocket chain 39 which carries the supports for the empty cartons.

The supports for the empty cartons are spaced at e ual distances aiong the sprocket chain 39. ach of these supports comprises a hollow stand 43 of a size such that a carton will fit thereover, and provided with an inlet port at its lower end. The tand 43 is provided with a stop 45 upon which rests the edge of one of the side flaps of the carton, and is formed with a port 47, for permitting the carton to be blown off when air under pressure is admitted through the inlet port. The stand 43 is formed with sideflanges 48 which rest upon, and are slidahly supported by, the rail 41 or the rail 42, according to the position of the stand in the machine. It will be seen from the above that, as the sprocket chain 39 rotates, the stands 43 are carried first down the outside of the machine, and then down the center of the machine. As these stands pass down the outside of the machine empty cartons are placed thereon by hand. As they pass down the center of the machine the cartons are operated upon by mechanism which is fully described in my oo-pending application, Serial Number 787,371, filed August 25), 1913, and of which this application is a division. By this mechanism the (laps of the carton are folded down and glued. After the folding and gluing operation, just prior to the stands passing down the outside of the machine again, the cartons are blown off by air under pressure into suit-able chutes which deliver them to a. weighing and filling machine. The particular means whcreby this blow-off is accomplished is more clearly described and specifically claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 437,319, file-d anuary 14, 1921.

In Fig. 5. however, I have shown diagrammatically the manner in which the cartons are handled after they are blown off into a chute 60; this apparatus being properly included with the present subject matter of this application which is directed to the conveyer structure of my broader invention the present application being a divisional one, as above indicated. Although the chute 60 is shown as cut off at the top it should be understood that the same extends into proximity with a weighing machine and a belt conveyer 70, the cartons being returned to the machine via said belt conveyer 70. Therefore, the carbons are automatically returned to the machine from the weighing filling mechanism and fed one by one to the second conveyer. which again passes them beneath the same folding and gluing devices to seal the outer ends. It is apparent, therefore, that the blow-oftand the chute whereby the blown-ofi' packages are carried from at the outside of the machine and at the ends thereof between rails 66, similar to rails 41. Secured to the chain 64, at spaces therealong which are the same as the spaces between the stands 43, are a series of chairs 67 of such a height that they will support the filled cartons with their end flaps on the same plane as the end flaps of the empty cartons which are carried by the stands 43. The chairs 67 are provided with backs 68 for supporting the cartons, and are formed with side flanges 69 which rest upon, and are slidahly supported by, the rails 66 or the rails 42, according to the position of the chairs in the machine The chairs are so disposed upon the chain 64 that they will be interspaced at equal distances between the stands 43 during the time when the chairs and stands pass down the center of the machine.

In order that the cartons may be held in place during the sealing operation. a pair of side members 103 are disposed down the center of the machine so as to slidahly engage the sides of the cartons adjacent the bottoms. A second pair of members 104 are provided for slidahly engaging the sides of the cartons adjacent the tops.

While my conveyer has been described in my co-pending application and shown in this application as used in connection with carton-sealing mechanism. it will be understood. of course, that while the conveyer is particularly advantageous in this connection, it can be used in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: 4

1. A conveyer mechanism comprising a pair of endless conveyers. each having a series of supporting members. the supporting members of the conveyers being so disposed that the members of one series will be interspaced with the members of the other series.

during a port on of their travel.

2. A conveyer mechanism including the two conveyers traveling throughout a portion of their length in separate paths and traveling together throughout a portion of heir length. and means for transferring articles from the first conve or to the second conveyer after said artic es have traveled past the common portion of the paths on the first conveyer, whereby the articles will be caused to travel twice in the common path, once on the first conveyer and once on the second conveyer.

3. A conveyer mechanism comprising a first conveyer. a second conveyer. and means for transferring articles from said first conveyer to said second conveyer, said second conveyer carrying the articles during a part of their travel over the same path which they traveled when carried by the first conveyer.

4. A conveying mechanism comprising a pair of horizontally disposed carrying devices whose paths of travel coincide as they pass a predetermined point.

5. A conveying mechanism comprising a pair of horizontally disposed carrying devices having a portion of their paths of travel coinciding and a portion of their paths of travel separate and parallel.

6. A conveyer mechanism comprising a pair of horizontally disposed endless conveyers, each having a series of supporting means of different type. the supporting means of the conveyers being so disposed that the members of each series will be interspaced during a portion of their travel.

7. A conveyer mechanism comprising a pair of horizontally'disposed endless conveyers, each having a series of supporting means of difi'erent type. the paths of travel of said supporting means coinciding for a. portion of their length. and the supporting means of the conveyers being so disposed that the members of each series will be interspaced during a portion of their travel.

8. A conveying mechanism comprising two sets of horizontally disposed tracks converging into a single set. conveying members arranged to travel on said tracks, and means for advancing said members on the tracks.

9. A conveying mechanism comprising a pair of conveyers traveling throughout a portion of their length in separate paths and traveling together throughout a portion of their length.

10. A conveying mechanism comprising two sets of container carriers, means for causing said carriers to travel in separate aths during a portion of their travel and n the same path during a portion of their travel.

11. A conveying mechanism comprising a conveyer provided with a series oi convev ing devices of one character and a second conveyer provided with a series of conveying devices of another character, a portion of the paths of travel of said conveying devices of both series coinciding.

12. A conveyer mechanism comprising a conveyer provided with a plurality of stands for receiving empty containers and a second conveyer provided with a plurality of chairs for receiving filled containers, a portion of the paths of travel of said stands and chairs coinciding.

13. A conveying mechanism comprising two sets of horizontally disposed continuous tracks having a common section, receiving members arranged to travel on said tracks. and means for advancing said members along said tracks.

14. A conveying mechanism comprising two sets of horizontally disposed continuous tracks having a common section disposed between two outer sections, receiving members arranged to travel on said tracks, and means for advancing said members along said tracks.

15. A conveyer mechanism comprising two sets of horizontal. substantially elliptical tracks having a common section, receiving members arranged to travel on said tracks, and means for advancing said members along said tracks.

16. A conveying mechanism comprising two series of carrying devices having substantially elliptical paths of travel and whose paths of travel in a horizontal plane coincide for a portion of their length.

17. A conveyer mechanism comprising two horizontal tracks having a common section, endless conveyer chains having their paths of travel adjacent said tracks, and carton advancing members connected to said chains and arranged to travel along said tracks.

18. In combination in a conveying mechanism comprising two loading areas and one operating area, two series of article-supporting means. means for conveying one series of said article-supporting means through one loading area, and means for conveying the other series of said article-supporting means through the other loading area. said means operating to convey both series of article-supporting means through the operating area.

19. In combination in a conveying mechanism comprising two loading areas and one operating area, two series of articlesupporting means, means for conveying one series of said article-supporting means through one loading area, and means for conveying the other series of said article-supporting means through the other loading area. said means operating to convey both series of article-slu'iporting means through the operating area the units of said two series alternating in position while passing through the last named area.

in witness whereof. l have hereunto subscribed my name.

JOHN L. FERGUSON. 

